From Where The Sun Rises
by candy4yourEYEZ
Summary: Kiku is a reclusive shut in, but not by choice. Can Heracles find his way into Kiku's life- and his heart? Giripan
1. Chapter 1

The first time Kiku saw Heracles was when he was outside, sleeping on his roof. The sun was beating down upon him, illuminating his tan skin until he seemed to glow.

It was oddly fitting; Kiku realized when he was looking back, for_ him_ to look so good outside, under the only star Kiku could never see. The only star Kiku actually wanted to see.

School was almost out, Kiku gathered, from the way that _he_ brought progressively less amounts of papers up to roof with him. Kiku wished he could go over and help the sun boy; Kiku had been homeschooled for as long as he could remember by Yao (his elder brother, who switched occupations regularly, between artist and exorcist) and was an excellent student. Not that it mattered much.

Kiku never thought that he'd actually meet his sun boy; never thought that he'd meet anyone besides his family and occasionally his brother's friends. He hadn't thought that _he_ might have seen Kiku watching him through a conveniently placed third story window. But _he_ did, and that is where the story starts.

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><p>Authoress' Random Ramble<p>

Yes, this is Giripan. Yes, this is another multichapter fic.

Will I ever learn?

More to be posted soon~

Less than three, less than three


	2. Chapter 2

Yao's house was large; four stories with an immense back yard. Kiku mainly lived on the third floor, watching the sun boy from his window. He had been observing the tanned marvel for maybe an hour or so, face close to the glass pane- but not too close- and the room darkened so Kiku could see any possible rays of sun infiltrating his fortress. He was almost dozing off, content at being able to look for so long, when the sun boy looked up, and teal eyes met brown. Kiku blinked and raised a hand in a hesitant wave. A slow, lazy smile spread across the boy's face, and he waved back. Kiku's face turned red at the thought that he'd been caught spying, and he hurriedly walked away from the window, forgetting to close the curtains.

He didn't know that his sun boy had been watching him as well.

Heracles had been observing the neighbor boy for quite some time. Ever since he and his mother had moved into their new house, the Greek had never seen the neighbor boy outside. The boy- Japanese, Heracles assumed, from what he had been able to see of his face- was always up at that one window.

Which, coincidentally, Heracles could see from his roof. Heracles began spending more time up there, sleeping and doing homework, but most of all- trying to catch a glimpse of the neighbor boy's face.

Heracles thought that the boy- if he even was a boy; his face was small and pale, doll like, and surprisingly feminine- looked like Selena, the goddess of the moon. Beautiful, but far away; high out of reach. But he could try to reach his moon boy- when Heracles set his mind on something, any semblance of laziness was soon stripped away. Heracles spent more time watching his neighbor than actually doing homework; turning over plans in his mind of how to meet this moon boy. He just wanted to say hello, ask the boy why he stayed inside, why Heracles never saw his neighbor at school, and maybe get a promise to meet again.

And, apparently Aphrodite was listening. Heracles looked up at the window like he normally did every once in a while, and the boy was looking back. Heracles felt a smile spread across his face as the boy, still separated by the window, raised his hand in a tentative wave. Heracles twiddled his fingers in reply, his grin getting wider as the moon boy's face got redder. He moved away from the window, and Heracles resolved to wait as long as necessary until the moon boy reappeared.

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><p>Authoress' Random Ramble<p>

This story will have pretty short chapters, but it'll (probably) be updated pretty frequently, so it all balances out, right?  
>Less than three, less than three<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Heracles woke up, confused for a second as to why there were stars on his ceiling. It took him a bit to realize that his 'ceiling' was the sky, and that he'd fallen asleep on the roof while waiting for the moon boy to show up. He sat upright and carefully lifted one of his mother's cats off his chest and onto his lap as he glanced over at the neighbors' house.

To his surprise, the boy was not in the window- he was in his backyard. Heracles shifted the cat to the crook of one of his arms and slid down his roof, making his way to the edge so he could climb down the tree that grew in his own lawn.

He hit the ground with a soft thump, and readjusted the cat to curl around his shoulders. Heracles walked over to the fence that divided the two yards, and got ready to introduce himself without freaking the other boy out.

* * *

><p>Kiku was standing in his backyard, reveling in the feeling of cool night air against his skin. He tried to go outside every night, but Yao didn't like him leaving the house. Yao was overprotective- in a nice way, one that gave Kiku a warm feeling. It proved that he cared.<p>

Kiku sat down in a hammock that Yao had strung between two trees, enjoying the quiet that came from being one of the only people awake in the vicinity.

"Hello?" The calm, deep voice startled Kiku, and he fell out of his hammock, hitting the ground bottom first. The sun boy vaulted over the fence and covered the short between them quickly, reaching out a large hand to Kiku.

Kiku grabbed the proffered hand and let the sun boy pull him to his slightly unsteady feet, glad that the night hid his blush.

"Hello," the sun boy repeated, not letting go of Kiku's hand.

"K-konnichiwa," Kiku stuttered, reverting back to his native language out of nervousness. "Ah, sorry, you startled me."

"I apologize for surprising you," the sun boy let go of Kiku's hand (his face was red enough that it could be seen in the dark, which Heracles found oddly endearing). He gently removed the cat from his neck, and held it out as a peace offering. "I've been meaning to name her," he said casually, settling down on the grass and patting the spot next to him as an invitation. Kiku sat down slowly, adjusting the mass of fur on his lap.

Heracles looked over at his neighbor carefully stroking the cat, and realized that the smaller boy had something to say- he was biting his lip in the indecisive manner of someone who was either shy or polite. Heracles had the feeling that his new companion was both.

"Aishiteru," Kiku finally mumbled, pointing at the heart shaped patch of dark fur on the cat's left side. "You should name her Aishiteru."

"That means love in Japanese, right?" The cat started to purr; luxuriating in the attention it was being paid.

"Yes," answered Kiku, suddenly wondering why he was sitting and talking with a boy he'd previously only seen through a window. "If you don't mind me asking…" Kiku realized with a twinge how rude it would be to ask his sun boy for his name without revealing his own. "My name is Kiku. May I ask what yours is?"

"Heracles," he smiled at Kiku, white teeth flashing against his tanned face. The two of them sat for a minute more, Kiku mechanically petting the cat, its purrs not registering in his mind. Although he tried to keep a calm exterior, Kiku's thoughts were racing. Should he try to start a conversation? Keep the silence? Tell Heracles why he was out at night? Say that it was a secret if Heracles asked? Ask why Heracles brought a cat with him?

Instead, Kiku found himself asking a completely different question. "What does your name mean?" He flushed afterwards, both at his rudeness and the look Heracles was giving him.

"My name? It means glory of Hera." Heracles looked at Kiku curiously; most other people, when trying to get to know him, would have asked about his hobbies or if he had a girlfriend. Not inquired about his somewhat unusual name. Granted, he was Greek, and it was a perfectly fine Greek name, but it was uncommon to find someone named Heracles in the American suburbs.

"Oh." Kiku mulled the information over, before realizing that Heracles was looking at him expectantly. "A-ah, sorry. My name means chrysanthemum." Kiku was prepared to explain that a chrysanthemum was a flower, and yes, it was a male name, when Heracles spoke up.

"It's pretty. The flower, and your name." Heracles ran a hand through his curly hair, half-closed eyes fixed on the petite, pale boy next to him. He hazarded a guess that Kiku was blushing, but it was hard to see when the only light was from the stars.

"I guess you like cats," he said after another period of silence, quirking his mouth into a small smile when a startled Kiku blinked several times in rapid succession. "If you want Aishiteru, you can keep her. My mom has a lot of cats, she won't miss this one."

"I don't know if I can," Kiku pursed his lips and sighed quietly. "I live with my older brother; he doesn't like cats that much, and I am not sure if he would agree to pay for food and a litterbox and other necessities."

"All right," Heracles showed Kiku where Aishiteru's favorite spot to be petted was (behind her ears), and patted Kiku lightly on the shoulder. "That's no big deal. I'll feed her and let her do her business at my house, and I can bring her over when you want to see her."

"I'm not outside the house that often," Kiku admitted. "Only during the night when Yao –my brother- is sleeping."

"Would he let you come over to my house?" Heracles opened his eyes completely, and Kiku was caught between their beautiful color and the feeling that, for the first time in his life, someone was truly seeing him.

"Probably not," Kiku paused, thinking something over. "But he's gone sometimes, for work and suchlike. I could tell you when he's gone, and you could visit then."

Heracles decided not to ask why Kiku couldn't sneak over to his house, and nodded in affirmation of the plan.  
>"It sounds good," he said, and was about to ask something else when Kiku suddenly looked up at the gradually lightening sky and hurriedly stood up.<p>

"Please excuse my rudeness, but I must get back inside," Kiku handed Aishiteru back to Heracles and rushed inside, waving goodbye after he'd closed the door and retreated into the comforting darkness of the stairwell.

Heracles waved back, somewhat confused, and meandered back to his own house. He decided to go back up on the roof and think about his new friend; Heracles got the feeling that there was more to Kiku than he seemed.

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><p>Authoress' Random Ramble<p>

And here's where we get the first hint about Kiku ;)

If you don't figure it out soon, don't worry. There'll be a big unveiling of his secret soon~

Less than three, less than three


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